Birthday Parties
by Arkaidy
Summary: Ties in with Harry Potter and the New Neighbour. Posttrial & 'Goatee'. It's a certain werewolf pup's sixth birthday today!


Birthday Parties  
by Vega

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Ties in with "Harry Potter and the New Neighbour"

* * *

At two o'clock in the afternoon on Emma Little's sixth birthday, it began to rain.

Most girls would be upset, throw a tantrum, pout, anything. Emma sat quietly by the fireplace in the living room, her best party dress arranged carefully in a circle around her, and legs tucked thick white tights that looking brand new straight out in front of her. She wore a little paper hat on her golden curls and a patient smile on her face.

Behind her little boys and girls, wizards and Muggles alike, ran around the room playing games, teasing each other and screaming. They were all also in their best party dresses and pantsuits. They had arrived in twos and threes half an hour earlier, clinging to their parents or rushing in the opened front door immediately to give Emma their presents.

For some, this was their first birthday party. For others, it was old hat.

One Muggle mother had stayed to help Rodger and Martha Little take care of the dozen or so screaming children. Luke, Emma's older brother, had wisely retreated to a friend's house to play video games for the afternoon.

"Why is Emma staring at the fireplace?" the mother, Ms. Andrea Warner, asked Martha Little as the two of them set the table in the living room with paper plates and plastic utensils. Rodger was playing 'horsey' on the floor.

Martha looked up and smiled at the composed form of her daughter, swathed in pink and frills, sitting perfectly still. Then she looked out the window. "Ah, it's raining, that's why."

Andrea paused and raised an eyebrow. She split open the plastic bag to get at the pink paper party cups and handed a stack to Martha. "Is that a weird wizard thing?"

Andrea's daughter Rachel was in Emma's class in the split-form school that Emma attended. It was for both wizard and Muggle children. Andrea had known about magic most of her life, as she had grown up in the same small town about an hour's drive outside of Hogsmeade as Martha, but never really every found out about the actual habits and mechanics of Wizarding in general.

Andrea had left the town to move to a Muggle city with her husband. When they had split because he kept drinking away his pay cheques, she returned to the small town and lived happily side-by-side with wizard neighbours.

It wasn't until she and Rachel had visited Emma in the hospital after the wild dog attack a year and a half ago that Andrea had learned that the Littles themselves were Wizards.

Martha laughed lightly. "No, it's an Emma thing."

Andrea scratched her head and set down the last of the cups. "Why does she do it?"

Martha pointed at the cloudy sky outside. "The rain signals the arrival of some of Emma's other friends. They're coming from the far side of London, so they usually floo in."

"Floo?"

"Ah," Martha pulled Andrea out into the sitting area, sidestepping the kids wrestling Rodger to the floor, and pulled her down into a seat on the couch beside her. "Wizards often travel by riding the fire between fireplaces. It's kind of hard to explain. It's called the Floo Network, and it's kind of like a telephone... only you actually ride through the cable."

Andrea shook her head. "Strange magic."

Martha shrugged. "So are dishwashers."

There was a flare of green light and the children all squealed and covered their eyes. Emma shot to her feet. Andrea gapped in amazement as soot billowed out into the living room in a dark cloud. The moment it hit the carpet, furniture, and people, it transformed into tiny golden sparkles and winked out of existence.

"Cleaning charm," Martha smiled and walked over to the fireplace to stand beside Emma.

"Sirius Kendyllic Black!" a young woman's voice shrieked from inside the fireplace, "You know damn well that I LOATHE flooing! You put me down THIS INSTANT OR I'LL–!"

"Oh, hush," a deeper, resonant male voice replied, cutting her off. "We're already here. Watch your mouth."

The soot cleared and Andrea squinted at the two people in the fireplace. The man appeared to be in his late thirties, a well-groomed goatee on his chin and dignified white streaks at his temples. His long dark hair was in a tail tied at the nape of his neck, and he was wearing a pair of nice dress slacks in charcoal and a black button down shirt. He was smiling, silver eyes twinkling.

Andrea wasn't sure, but she thought his eyeteeth looked a little... sharper than normal.

Thrown over his shoulder was a surly looking girl of about 20 or so. She had the same pale skin, white teeth, dark hair and bright eyes as him. She was wearing a knee-length bell skirt in black and a red turtleneck sweater.

The man stepped out of the fireplace, the soot on the bottom of his dress shoes vanishing when they hit the pale carpet, and he dropped the woman to her feet. She was wearing knee-high boots in shiny black leather, and her lipstick and eyeliner were very dark.

_Oh, my,_ Andrea thought. _Is she one of those goth girls?_

"Mr. Black!" Emma shrieked and launched herself at the man, hugging his knees tightly. Mr. Black laughed and leaned down and lifted her into his arms for a big hug. He nuzzled his nose against her neck and tickled her with the hair on his chin. She squirmed and giggled.

"Happy birthday, puppy!" he said and passed her over to the girl. Emma was glowing with joy, her hands held out eagerly to the young lady, her fingers wiggling.

"Happy birthday, Emma," the girl said, hitching Emma up on one hip.

"Didja get me a present, Ana?" Emma whispered loudly and Ana laughed.

"Emma!" Martha scolded, but there was a smile on her face.

Ana set the girl down on her own feet on the carpet and made a great show of tapping her chin with one long pale finger. "Oh, dear. Was I supposed to get you a present?"

Emma stared at Ana, wide-eyed and slightly horrified. Guests had to bring presents. That was the rule.

Ana reached into a pocket and her had came out empty. "Nothing there. Hmmmm. Nothing in the other pocket. Hmmm... nothing up my sleeves... hmmm..."

By now the other children had crowded around and everyone was shouting out suggestions as to where to check next. "Boots! Check 'er boots!" "Hair, in her hair!" "Accio it!" "Pull it outta yer ear!"

Ana shook her head to all of these, then slammed a fist into her palm. "A-ha! I remember where it is!" She walked over to Mr. Black and dug her hand into his front pocket. His eyes got wide and Andrea stifled a laugh. Ana's hand came back out holding a small black jewellery case. "Found it!"

Emma squealed with delight and all the children clapped. Ana knelt in front of Emma and handed over the case.

"C'n I open it now?" Emma asked her father, who had come to stand on the other side of her, her honey-coloured eyes sparkling and voice breathy with excitement.

Rodger and Mr. Black exchanged a glance and Mr. Black nodded. "Okay," Rodger said, patting her shoulder. "Go ahead."

Emma slowly pushed the lid of the case back and grinned. Andrea craned her neck to see a heavy, strong looking gold chain necklace lying on a small pillow of white satin.

_How much did that cost?_ She wondered. _Are these people loaded?_

Emma jumped up and down in delight and it took Ana a few minutes to place the chain around her neck and close the clasp because the little girl refused to stay still long enough.

Before Andrea could ask if the chain was real gold, another flash of green light and cloud of smoke filled the room and Emma streaked into it, screaming with joy, "MR. LUPIN!"

There was a throaty masculine laugh echoed out of the fireplace, in striking counterpoint to Emma's young voice yipping and growling.

"Whoa, pup!" he laughed and stepped out of the cloud into the light where Andrea could see him. Emma was in his arms, and she had her face right up to his ear, whispering something to him. No, Andrea realized, not whispering. She was _biting_ the soft lobe of his ear, like a puppy bites the ears of a bigger dog.

"Martha," she said, but the other woman just shook her head. This was normal?

Mr. Lupin, a man also in his late thirties, set Emma down on the carpet and crouched to be at eye level with her. His eyes were a piercing blue, his hair a tawny colour shot through with the beginnings of white. He looked a little worn down, slightly frayed around the edges, his cardigan patched and smile-wrinkles at the sides of his eyes and mouth.

Emma was showing him her new necklace, and Lupin reached into his pocket and produced a similar jewellery box to the first. _He must be friends with the other two_, Andrea realized. Inside it was a small crescent moon pendant to made of luminescent pearl. It was obviously meant to be worn on the new necklace.

"It's charmed," Lupin explained to the child. "It will change itself to reflect the phases of the moon. Then you'll always know when I'm coming to visit."

Emma smiled and hugged Mr. Lupin tightly.

Then she ran off to play with her classmates and the six adults were left standing in the living room staring at each other. "Andrea Warner," Andrea said, taking the initiative and sticking out her hand to Mr. Black. "Just call me Andrea. Nice to meet all of you."

"I'm Sirius," the man said, taking it. "And this is Ana."

The young lady nodded, and Andrea smiled. "Your daughter is very lovely, Mr. Black."

There was a moment of silence. Sirius and Ana's eye both grew wide. Ana turned to look at the man beside her. "D-daughter...? Wait. Me?" she stuttered. "WHAT?"

Andrea felt her smile slide off her face. "You... aren't...?"

Mr. Lupin doubled over and began guffawing. Ana immediately went red. Sirius had to cover his mouth and turn his back and Andrea wasn't sure if he was choking or laughing.

"I'm not!" Ana said, firmly.

Rodger leaned over and whispered to Andrea, "Ana is his partner."

"Oh, my god! I'm so sorry!" Andrea said immediately. Mr. Lupin only laughed harder.

Trying to cover the moment of awkwardness, Rodger said, hastily. "And this is Remus Lupin. He's the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor up at Hogwarts."

Remus stopped laughing long enough to shake Andrea's hand. Andrea noted that his hand was very warm and gentle, but slightly roughened from physical labour.

There was a shout from the other room, where the kids were, and Sirius, Ana and Remus offered to go take care of what ever it was. Rodger noticed the time and scrambled for his coat - he had to go pick up the cake from the bakery. Andrea and Martha retired to the kitchen.

Martha had one of those wonderful George Foreman grill things so they were going to make hamburgers. It was cheaper to make the actual burgers, and healthier, so the women went about making little patties in the shapes of hearts and stars out of ground beef and egg.

"Save the blood," Martha said just as Andrea was about to dump said blood down the sink. Some had pooled in the bottom of the Styrofoam tray. Andrea looked at Martha askance, and Martha pointed to a clear pitcher on the counter top.

There were already a few inches of blood in it, and Andrea realized she'd been saving the blood the whole time they had been making the burgers. Andrea went over to the pitcher and dumped the blood from her tray into it.

"Why are we saving it?" she asked as she crumpled the tray and threw it in the trash.

Martha blinked at Andrea. "Uh... I'll explain later."

Andrea shrugged. "Wizard thing?"

"Something like that."

Andrea washed her hands and they went back to making burgers.

"So," Andrea ventured, trying to flick her dark hair out of her eyes without touching it with her meat-covered hands. "That... Mr. Lupin."

"Remus?"

"He's a teacher?"

Martha nodded. "At my old Alma Mater."

Andrea nodded, patting the beef in her palms into the shape of a star. "You went to the school on the other side of Hogsmeade." she sighed gently. "Is it nice? I can't see it, and I've always wondered what it looks like."

Martha smiled. "I'm sure I have some old photos kicking around somewhere. I'll dig them up later."

"Thanks."

There was a comfortable silence for a moment as they put the first of the hamburgers onto the indoor grill. They washed their hands and began to make three pitchers of lemonade. Then Andrea asked, "So, Remus likes kids?"

Martha stopped stirring the juice and stared at the other woman. "You like Remus?"

Andrea ducked her head and shrugged. "He seemed... kind."

"He is."

"And he has great eyes."

"He does."

"Oh my god, and those _hands_," a third, masculine voice cut in. "I know _I've_ got it bad."

Andrea gasped and dropped her mixing spoon and she and Martha turned to find Sirius leaning against the wall on this side of the kitchen door. He had snuck in without either of them hearing. He was chuckling, his whole body shaking, a smile threatening to split wide.

"Something I can get for you, Sirius?" Martha asked as Andrea turned bright red.

"Nope," he said "I know where the cups are." He crossed the kitchen and pulled two mugs from the cupboard, then moved towards the fridge. Halfway there he stopped and looked at the pitcher of blood on the counter. "That fresh?"

Martha nodded. Sirius shrugged and poured the blood into the mugs, put the empty pitcher in the sink, smiled his thanks and sauntered out.

Andrea, whose face had been red with embarrassment, now turned a ghastly white.

"Is he going to... drink that?"

Martha set aside her spoon and regarded Andrea carefully. "You don't know, do you."

"Know what?"

"Do you get the Daily Prophet?"

"No."

Martha shook her head. "And I don't suppose you know who Harry Potter is."

Andrea favoured her friend with a sour look. "I'm not _that_ much of a Muggle."

"That's Sirius Black. Harry Potter's godfather."

"Wait... Sirius Black, the murderer?"

"Sirius Black the Proven-Innocent in a trial eight months ago."

Andrea sat down hard in one of the kitchen chairs. "Geeze. I didn't even put two and two together."

"It's okay."

"But... the blood, that doesn't explain the blood."

Martha sat beside her and for a moment they just listened to the hamburgers sizzle. "Um... well... Sirius was dying, before You-Know-Who was killed. He had been, erm... attacked by a vampire. He almost died."

Andrea leaned forward, fascinated. "Really? Vampires are real, then?"

Martha laughed at this. "I should hope so! I have two standing in my living room!"

Andrea went pale again. "Rachel!" She jumped to her feet and Martha grabbed her hand to keep her from running off.

"The kids are fine," Martha said calmly.

"Fine! With a vampire!"

"Ana and Sirius would never hurt them."

Andrea stared at her friend in shock for a moment before collapsing back onto the chair. "Ana and Sirius?"

Martha smiled gently, rubbing the back of Andrea's hand soothingly. "That's why it was so funny when you called Ana Sirius' daughter. It's actually the other way around. It was Ana who turned Sirius into a vampire. She accidentally attacked him to protect Harry and had to turn him or he would have died. Now they're... well..."

"Lovers, I believe is the appropriate term." The women looked up to find Ana standing in the doorway with two empty mugs in her hands. "Want these in the sink?" Martha nodded. "How's the burgers coming? The natives are getting restless."

Martha stood and pulled out a batch and put another set of six onto the grill. "You're just in time to take them out to the kiddies."

"Oh, the joy of being me."

Ana took the platter of hamburgers and Andrea could hear her gathering everyone together around the makeshift dinning table. It was made up of the actual dining room furniture, a card table, and a few borrowed TV-Trays and lawn chairs.

Andrea watched her go.

"She doesn't look like one of the living dead," she finally admitted to Martha.

Martha laughed. "No. It's because she's a sharp dresser. C'mon. I hear Rodger in the driveway."

The two women went to join the party.

* * *

Somehow Andrea found herself sitting beside Remus Lupin.

"Vampires aren't really dead," he was saying as he applied mustard liberally to his hamburger. "They're animate, but they just don't breathe or have heartbeats any more. The blood they imbibe circulates through their system through osmosis, not circulation. So. it's not like they've died, really. Just that their biology is now something different. They're also called the Dark Children of the Fey."

Andrea scrunched up her nose, confused. "The Fey?"

Remus smiled. "The first Vampire was Tam Lin. He had been the lover of the Faerie Queen, and when he betrayed her and got a mortal woman with child, the Queen cursed him to a half-life. He became the first vampire, and he made others." He nodded up the table to where Ana was sitting between to children, trying to keep them from smacking each other with their paper plates. "Ana, there, is actually his Progeny."

"Progeny?"

Remus laughed and Andrea found it pleasant and warm. "Oh, I feel like I'm in the classroom."

Andrea took a sip of lemonade from her paper cup. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You can stop."

Remus bit into his burger lustily and chewed for a moment. Mustard dripped out the bottom. "No, it's okay. I don't mind. When a Vampire makes a human a vampire, the human becomes their Progeny, or Childe. The elder Vampire is then called the Sire. Ana's Sire was Dorin, and although we're not sure how, exactly, we know he was either Tam Lin himself, or was sired by Tam Lin. Dorin was also called Dracula."

Andrea blinked. "Ana is the daughter of Dracula?"

Remus shrugged. "Yes. I suppose. She is also now Sirius' Sire."

Andrea shook her head. She pushed away her empty plate and watched the children around the table for a silent moment. The kids were happy, laughing, eating and getting more food on their faces than in their mouths.

Andrea found it surreal to know that Harry Potter's supposedly deranged Godfather and the vampire childe of Count Dracula were in the middle of it all, re-filing lemonade cups and slicing cake.

In the midst of the mess of youth, Emma sat, honey-coloured eyes darting back and forth, watching everyone carefully, keeping tabs, nose twitching.

"She's counting them again," Andrea murmured, more to herself than to Remus.

"Hm?" Remus asked, his mouth full.

"Oh, Emma. She... look, she has this thing where she... keeps tabs on everybody. Rachel, my daughter, she doesn't do it."

"_Issapackthing,"_ Remus mumbled around his food, then swallowed. "So, you have a daughter?" He sniffed once, and Andrea wondered if he had a cold. "That one, there?" he asked, point directly at the little dark-haired girl who was Andrea's child.

Andrea nodded. "Good guess."

Remus smiled sheepishly and Andrea found it sweet. "You... ah... have the same... hair."

Andrea blinked but accepted the answer. There was another moment of silence, and finally Andrea just said, "Are you... maybe... do you think you'd want to go out for... for dinner sometime, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus paused, his lemonade halfway to his lips, and stared at her. "I... what?"

Andrea felt her face going red and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry, forget I said anything."

Remus coughed once and his gaze darted up to find Ana smiling gently at him and Sirius giving him a not-so-discreet thumbs up. Remus shook his head slightly and set down his pink paper cup.

"You mean... on a date?" he asked slowly.

Andrea nodded. "You have a girlfriend, I understand," she said, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"I... uh, actually, I don't."

Andrea raised her eyes to meet his. "You don't?"

"No, and ... uh... I would... be delighted to... have dinner with you, sometime." His smile was hesitant but bright.

At the far end of the table, Emma stood on her chair and demanded that everyone sing her 'Happy Birthday' again, and everyone was only too happy to comply. The children sang, the vampires laughed, the Muggles watched with careful faces, and Remus Lupin eventually stopped blushing.

* * *

Emma launched herself at Sirius Black and the vampire caught her effortlessly and placed a kiss on her temple. "Thanks for the cake and ice-cream, squirt," he said and set her down on her feet.

Emma's eyebrows drew down in a confused frown. "But you don't eat cake an' ice-cream."

Sirius laughed and moved aside so Ana could hug the little girl goodbye. It was the end of the party, just nearing sunset, and it was time for everyone to head home. Their parents, leaving Emma and Rachel, had retrieved all of the children.

Andrea and Remus helped Martha and Rodger clean up as the two vampires said their thank yous and good byes. They were going to floo (much to Ana's chagrin) back to their home in Little Whinging, where they hoped Sirius' Godson hadn't destroyed the place during their absence.

Remus sent his regards to young Mr. Potter.

The Warners were next to leave, Andrea's hand lingering a bit too long in Remus' as they said goodbye and made arrangements for him to come to dinner next Friday night at her home. Rachel promised to make him and extra special ice-cream sundae for desert and he promised not to be late.

The sitting room tidy once more and all the dishes either tossed away or in the sink, Remus knelt on the carpet in front of the fireplace to say goodbye to Emma.

She looked up at him with wide honey-coloured eyes and said, "You're not staying tonight?"

He shook his head. "Not the full moon, pup."

Emma narrowed her gaze. "You smell different."

Remus coughed once and felt the heat rising on his cheeks again. "Oh?"

"You smell happy."

"Well, I'm happy it's your birthday and that you're six today."

"No, different 'n that. Yooooou liiiiiiiiiike Mrs. Warner." She smiled, flashing little pearly canines at him. "She gonna be a' Alpha Bitch?"

Remus gasped and behind Emma both her parents looked mortified.

"Emma!" Martha gasped. "Where did you learn that word!"

Emma turned to look over her shoulder at her mother. "From a book! Luke says that the book says that a boss wolf that's a boy is a' Alpha," she pointed at Remus' nose. "Mr. Lupin is my Alpha. But I'm not old enough to be a' Alpha, so I'm a Beta. Luke says that the book says that a girl wolf is called a Bitch." She beamed, innocent of the trouble her older brother would be in when he returned home.

Remus beat a hasty retreat, and Emma Little sat back down on the carpet and flipped through the giant picture book on wolves, one finger stuck in her mouth, and her other hand playing with her new necklace.

It was a very good birthday, according to her, rain and all. She got to see Ana and Sirius, and Mr. Lupin. She'd gotten books and toys and clothes and cake as presents, and a really nice necklace. She'd had the good hamburgers for lunch. She'd gotten to play games with her friends. And, Mr. Lupin had found a girlfriend.

She wondered when she'd be having another one.

END


End file.
